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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · mark · game · face · stick · rest · object · cap

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. face — to confront
  7. rest — a break
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cap — a lid
  15. object — a thing
  16. rest — what's left
  17. object — to protest
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. object — an aim
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mark — a grade
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com